The Blood Games
by rachel.leann
Summary: When Klaus becomes bored with the inhabitants of Mystic Falls, he creates his own game where the people involved are required to fight to the death. With everything on the line, who will Elena choose? Stelena, Delena, Forwood, and others.
1. Chapter 1 The Game

a/n: This is a new fic I've been working on. I hope everyone enjoys it. Throughout the course of this fic, you'll see flashes of Stelena, a lot of Delena, and a little bit of Forwood. As always, please review. The more reviews I get, the more often I'll update.

Also, follow me on twitter. My username is Rachel_Leann58  
>I'll talk about Vampire Dairies, other tv shows, books, movies, and life. Just let me know you're following me, and I'll follow you back!<p>

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><p>Chapter One The Blood Games<p>

Slowly, everything returned to Elena. As her eyes blinked open, she groaned at the bright sunlight around her. Her head was currently throbbing, and she reached out with her hand to touch it. She had just closed her eyes when she heard someone speak her name.

Opening back her eyes, she truly took in her surroundings. She currently sat on a slab of concrete that had some form of wire lodged into its surface. The wire left the base of the concrete and enclosed her in a rectangular cage.

The worst part was that Elena couldn't remember how she had gotten here. As she thought back, the last memory she possessed was of her and Bonnie walking beside the Mystic Grill. There had been no one in sight who could have taken her. Her current predicament was an enigma.

Searching for answers, Elena pushed herself off the ground and surveyed the area around her. Outside of her own cage, she could see eleven more cages spread out in a large circle. In the center of the cages, a few hundred yards away, stood a stock pile of weapons and food. A tremor raced down Elena's spine as she saw the machetes, hatchets, and maces in the pile before her.

"Elena," someone called again, and Elena glanced to her left to see Caroline standing in the cage beside her. Fear seized onto Elena as she grabbed onto the wire that held her captive. The last thing she wanted was for Caroline to be in this creepy place.

"Where are we?" Elena found herself whispering. Caroline only shrugged in response.

"I was hanging out with Tyler. The next thing I know, I'm here."

"And you can't get out?"

"My cage is coated with vervain," she replied. "I can't even touch it."

Elena let out a deep breath as she nodded. Then, she allowed her eyes to span over the other cages. When she realized all the people held inside the prisons, her breath hitched in her body.

In the cage next to Caroline stood Bonnie, whose expression of absolute fear did nothing to alleviate Elena's own trepidation. Next was a woman Elena didn't know, then Stefan, Jeremy, a man, Tyler, Katherine, Alaric, a woman, Damon, and beside Elena was another man she didn't know.

"Who would come up with something like this?" Elena asked. "Why put us all together like this?"

As if in response, a voice echoed across the open area. Although Elena couldn't see anyone, she noticed two large speakers placed around where the food and weapons were located. She stared at the speakers as the person continued to speak.

"Now that everyone is awake, I feel like some explanations are in order," the voice boomed. Elena knew the masculine voice sounded familiar, but right now, she couldn't place it. "I chose each of you to take part in a game I've devised. I've been hanging around this town, becoming increasingly bored, and I thought I would spice things up a bit."

"Klaus," Elena breathed as realization hit. Her eyes drifted to Caroline, and knew she had figured things out as well.

"The rules to this game are simple," Klaus continued. "You are trapped inside this area outside of your cages. If you look around, you'll notice that there are weapons and food in the center of the arena. A forest lies on the outskirts of the arena that you are welcome to venture into." He let out an evil laugh. "The twist is that only one person will leave this arena. You are welcome to kill in any way you want to, just make sure you are the last person standing. Are there any questions?"

Elena's heart was beating unbearably fast. Nothing about this seemed fair to her.

"What happens if we won't kill each other?" Elena called out daringly.

"Oh, you will," Klaus responded. "The only blood in this entire arena is the blood that is flowing through the veins of the humans. After a while, the vampires won't be able to stop themselves… But, if I see that you're not being cooperative, I'll intervene and make sure people start dying."

Part of Elena wished she still didn't know the answer to that question, but the other part was glad she knew the answer. She would do everything in her power to make sure that the ones she cared about found some way to escape.

"If no one else has any questions, then I guess we'll start the countdown."

Elena eyed the area quickly as her mind fought to come up with a plan. She needed to reunite with those who would fight with her, but since they were all spread out, that thought seemed impossible. Plus, she wasn't sure how the strangers would react. For all she knew, they could be werewolves or vampires too.

"5," Klaus spoke, and Elena glanced to the man in the cage beside her. His eyes gleamed a vivid red, and she was certain at that time that he was a vampire.

"4."

Elena moved as far away from the man as possible, although there was little space in her cage to move.

"3."

The man growled, and the veins in his eyes protruded while his fangs extended.

"2."

Elena let out a deep breath to try to calm her nerves.

"1."

At this point, she really didn't have a strategy but to survive.

"Begin."

Elena's cage collapsed around her. Before it even registered in her mind that she was free, the male vampire was on top of her. With a speed she couldn't fight against, he reached down and bit into her neck.

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><p>an: The next chapters will be longer than this one was. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2 Searching for Water

a/n: Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter! I loved hearing what everyone thought.

So here is my next chapter. Please review!

Also, followed me on Twitter Rachel_Leann58  
>Feel free to discuss anything about this fic on there, as well as things from Vampire Diaries, Secret Circle, or anything else you can think of. Also, let me know you're from here and I'll follow you back. =)<p>

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><p>Chapter Two Day One: Elena<p>

Elena cried out in pain as the vampire's fangs sunk into her flesh. The next thing she knew, however, the vampire was being ripped away from her. Part of Elena's skin was torn away as well, and she instantly placed her hand on the wound to try to stop the bleeding.

"No one is going to mess with my friend," Caroline said boldly as she threw the vampire to the ground. The moment he stood up, he blurred away and left them standing alone.

"Oh, Elena," Caroline mumbled as she sunk down beside her friend. "Let me see."

Carefully, Elena removed her hand from her neck. Elena had to fight getting sick when she saw the large amount of blood that stained her hand.

"Here," Damon said as he offered her his bleeding wrist. She tried to push him away, and only left a bloody handprint on his arm.

"Don't be silly," he continued. "I know this has to hurt."

Hurt was an understatement. Elena's vision swam, and it was hard for her to even hold on to consciousness. It felt like someone had lit a fire at her neck and had then left her to burn.

The next thing Elena knew, her mouth was filled with a warm, viscous liquid. Despite the fact she had thought the blood would taste bitter, there was something sweet about it. It was as if her body knew Damon's blood would be the thing that saved her.

"Where did all the other vampires go?" Damon asked as he looked up at Caroline. She shook her head in response.

"They aren't here anymore," Caroline shrugged as she looked to Elena with worried eyes. "In fact…" Her eyes trailed across the area before they rested on one person. Gritting her teeth, Elena pushed herself up to see who Caroline was staring at.

There was a pain in Stefan's eyes that made Elena want to shrink back into the trees. Thankfully, he stayed a few feet away and stared at her with bloodthirsty eyes.

"I vote we just battle all this out and get this over with," Katherine's voice called from nearby. "It would be a lot easier that way, and it would save me a ton of time."

"Katherine," Damon growled.

"Easy," she laughed as she held up her hands in mock surrender. "I was joking."

Although Elena doubted that, she knew they currently needed to work together if they had any chance of surviving this game.

As her strength returned, Elena pulled herself to her feet. She experienced vertigo for a slight moment, wavered, and was caught by Caroline.

"Take it easy," Caroline cooed. "We can wait a while."

Elena brushed Caroline off though, and walked toward where the food was positioned. She surveyed the ridiculous pile before finally sifting through the food supplies the humans had been given. At least Klaus had tried to make this a fair fight for the humans.

In the pile, Elena found two different backpacks. She stuffed food into them while Bonnie, Jeremy, Alaric, and Tyler all helped. It didn't take them too long to fill them, and the vampires all stood watch during that time to make sure the enemy didn't attack.

When they finished with the food, Alaric studied the weapons. He picked up a pair of daggers, sniffed them, and then handed them to Elena.

"They're laced with vervain," he explained. "Put them somewhere safe. I'm sure you're going to need them."

Elena nodded as she accepted the weapons. She wasn't really sure what to do with them, but then Alaric handed her a holster that she quickly fastened to her waist.

While she was doing this, Alaric was stuffing every available place on his body with weapons of all shapes and sizes. Personally, Elena didn't see how he would ever be able to carry them all himself.

Then, Elena looked through the remaining food supplies for any sign of water. When she didn't find any, she stood up with a frown across her face.

"There has to be water somewhere," Damon was speaking already. Apparently he had read her thoughts. "Klaus wouldn't have given you food and not given you water. We just have to find it."

"Right," Elena nodded before her chocolate eyes drifted to the trees around them. "Which direction do you think we should go in?"

"Maybe north," Bonnie said. She walked toward Elena, but stopped suddenly when she ran into something no one could see. She clutched at her now bleeding nose as her eyes widened with shock.

Jeremy had already moved beside Bonnie and was reaching out at the barrier that Bonnie had run into. It was almost like a pane of glass had been placed between them. Although Elena could see the people on the other side, there was something that was preventing her from touching them.

"There's a witch involved," Bonnie explained, and Elena frowned.

Trying to accept this new twist, Elena looked out at the people on the same side of the barrier as her. Currently, there was Stefan, Damon, and Katherine standing on the same side as Elena. This left Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler, and Alaric on the other side of the barrier. Part of Elena knew Klaus had waited for this exact moment to separate the group. Elena ending up on the same side as the Salvatore brothers and Katherine was a plot too good to have been created by chance.

Then Elena glanced up at the sun. Its heat was blistering, and she knew she needed to find water soon.

She walked over to the edge of the barrier and placed her hand flat against its clear surface.

"Find water," she spoke softly. "Stay together. And stay safe."

"We will," Caroline nodded before she placed her hand against her side of the barrier. Although their hands didn't physically touch, Elena still felt comforted by the contact. "Be safe."

"You too."

With those words, Elena took off in the opposite direction. Damon and Stefan followed her almost instantly, but she was surprised when Katherine too joined in with the group.

They walked without saying anything for close to an hour. Predictably, it was Katherine who broke the silence.

"I feel like I'm a turtle," she complained. "No…" she corrected, "This is worse than being a turtle. This is like being a turtle that is super glued to a block of concrete. Even if it wants to move, it can't."

"You could, you know, just leave," Damon offered with a wicked grin. "We never asked you to come along."

"But you'd be dead without me," she replied. "All four of those vampires could be out here now. If I leave, it's just you two against those four."

"I doubt they're fighting together," Stefan remarked. It was the first time he had spoken since he had entered the arena.

Elena turned toward Stefan to smile at him, but her vision wavered, and she had to fight to keep her balance. She felt strong arms around her that were holding her up, and she was surprised to see Damon helping her.

"I'm fine," Elena said as she pushed him away. "I'm just…"

"You're becoming dehydrated," Damon finished. "We need to find water."

"Or we could just leave her," Katherine shrugged. "It'd save us a lot of problems."

The other three people ignored Katherine.

"Will you scope out the area?" Damon asked as he looked at Stefan. "If you see water, come back here and let us know."

Stefan didn't seem too happy about that idea, but he nodded once. Both Damon and Stefan knew how much she needed to water, and how much quicker a search could be done at vampire speed.

"You know, you could always go too," Damon offered as he looked at Katherine.

She smirked. "He was always the fun one anyway."

With a blur, both Katherine and Stefan had disappeared from the clearing.

Elena felt vertigo again, and clung to Damon to keep herself upright. Her head was currently pounding, and she silently wondered how long she had gone without water. There was no telling when Klaus had knocked her out and drug her here. For all she knew, it could have been days since she'd had anything to drink.

Although she wanted to be able to stand on her own, she knew right now that she couldn't. A couple of times she almost collapsed and had to grab onto Damon's shirt to keep herself standing. Every time his hands would gently hold her up.

When she almost fell again, Damon picked her up and cradled her safely inside his arms. She let her head rest against his chest, and she closed her eyes to fight against the dizziness. There was something soothing about being carried now, and she let go of the pain and focused instead on the serenity she felt.

In between her dreamland and reality, she heard someone talking.

"We found water," the male voice said in a whisper. "It's not far from here. Follow us."

Then Elena felt the wind around her, and the world blurred around her in a flurry of color. There was something almost magical about the experience, but reality came in and ruined it.

Damon's hands were pushing her forward, and then she felt cool water on her lips. It was so pure and refreshing that she found herself gulping for it like it was air. But before her thirst could be quenched, the water was taken from her, and she found herself clawing her way back to it.

"You have to stop, Elena, or you'll just get sick!" Damon roared. "You have to listen to me."

While she was still shaking, Elena nodded her head and collapsed onto the grass near the stream that had been found. She watched the water as it glided across the smooth stones at the bottom of the stream. Although she wanted more water, she forced herself to stay in place.

"Do we want to just camp here for tonight?" Damon asked the group.

Confused, Elena glanced up to see the vibrant pinks and oranges of the setting sun.

"We might as well," Katherine smiled fakely. "We wouldn't want to take the golden girl away from her precious water."

Biting her tongue, Elena glanced away from Katherine and to Stefan. He appeared detached, and part of her wanted to take him into her arms and kiss all of his problems away. But she wasn't allowed to do those things anymore, and a deep pain spread out from her heart as she thought those words.

Then, Elena's stomach emitted a rumbling growl, and she looked at the others apologetically.

"Go ahead and eat," Damon instructed before he handed her the backpack that had her food in it. She couldn't even remember at what point he had taken it from her.

But she nodded, nonetheless, and took out a granola bar that Klaus had provided for the humans. When she took a bite, she closed her eyes and savored the moment. Her happiness, however, was broken up by Katherine clearing her throat.

"Why does she get to eat while we have to starve?"

Elena opened her eyes and glared at Katherine. Damon took a protective step in front of Elena to make sure the others didn't try to attack her.

"So we found water," Katherine sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "What will this mean for tomorrow? What is our next step of ensuring we _all_ make it out alive?"

"It's good to see you're joined the team," Damon smiled as he sat down on the grass beside Elena.

"Oh, believe me," Katherine smirked. "I'm not going to be team Elena anytime soon." She shrugged. "But I am _completely_ okay with screwing with Klaus."

Elena rolled her eyes before a yawn emitted itself from her lips. With all the walking and small amount of water she had, she was worn out.

For the next little bit, the group worked on setting things up for the night. Katherine, Damon, and Stefan all agreed to take turns keeping watch in case the vampires came to attack them.

Elena snuggled into a soft area on the grass. She closed her eyes and allowed sleep to come quickly. Her dreams, however, didn't bring her the peace she wanted.

She had only been asleep for an hour when someone was standing above her and shaking her.

"Wake up!" Damon called as he continued to try to wake her.

"What's going on?" Elena asked as she stood up and surveyed the area.

The night was dark, and she stood there breathing heavily as Damon tried to keep her quiet. Her eyes darted around the clearing, but she couldn't see anything in the shadows. She was about to speak again when a bone-chilling scream echoed through the night. She turned to Damon with fear on her face.

Quietly, he spoke, "They're here."


	3. Chapter 3 The Cost of Survival

a/n: I finally found time to write chapter three! I've been so happy with the reviews I've received so far, and I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as well. For news on story updates, or just to talk about Vampire Diaries and other topics, follow me on Twitter at rachel_leann58

Also, Happy Thanksgiving!

As always, please review!

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><p>Chapter 3 The Cost of Survival<p>

_Day One…_

Caroline stared at the expanse of trees that lay before them with something less than enthusiasm. The last thing she wanted to do was go waltzing through a forest Klaus had quartered off for them. There was no telling what he had placed within its dark depths.

"We have to go in there, Care," Bonnie's voice called from nearby. "We don't have a choice."

Caroline mumbled something that was unintelligible to the rest of the group. A frown crossed Alaric's face, but he nodded in agreement.

"If we sit out here in the open, Klaus will take us out himself," he shrugged. "We might as well see what's in there."

"But…" Caroline's voice trailed off as she realized she'd lost the argument. Then, she sighed and motioned toward the ominous trees. "After you."

The majority of the trek was quiet. No one was really sure what to say to try to boost the morale of the group, so there really wasn't any reason to talk.

Although the threat of death hung over Caroline's head, she couldn't help but admire the beauty of the area around her. The sunlight glistened through the lush green leaves before sprinkling across the ground. The air was warm, but not overbearingly so, and a soft breeze glided through the trees that helped to cool her body down.

They had walked about a mile when she noticed the effects the trek was taking on Bonnie and Alaric. Their movements were becoming much slower, and Bonnie even looked like she was going to get sick. Knowing they needed to stop, Caroline cleared her throat.

"Do you have any way of finding out where water is?" she asked as casually as she could.

Bonnie looked at her with tired eyes and nodded. "I have a better idea though."

Caroline stared in amazement as Bonnie walked over to Alaric and took the dagger that was in his hand. Without hesitation, she took the weapon and drew a circle in the dirt. A nervous laugh escaped Caroline's lips, but her voice died down as Bonnie chanted.

"_Nunc ad me… Nunc ad me…"_

Just then, a dark cloud appeared overhead. Only a few seconds elapsed before rain fell from the sky and covered all of them in a thin mist.

As the rain intensified, Bonnie took a large leaf from nearby and used it to catch the water. Jeremy and Alaric repeated the process and did the same. Even Caroline and Tyler opened their mouths and let the water enter their bodies.

Although the water didn't help to satisfy the thirst Caroline had, she still felt a little more revived after the water. She tried to ignore the burning that consumed her throat, and instead focused on the people she cared about.

Alaric had finished filling up a canteen of water to take along with them until they found another water supply. Bonnie had walked across the dirt circle she had drawn and had erased the lines that had been there previously. Just as the lines were completely erased, the sky lightened up again, and the rain stopped falling.

"That's pretty incredible," Jeremy spoke. His brown eyes looked to Bonnie, and she only nodded in response.

"We need to find a good place to camp out for the night," Alaric remarked as his eyes looked at the darkening sky. "I'd like to be in a good defensive location when night falls."

Caroline understood the logic in this, but knew they'd just waste time wandering around if they didn't have a plan.

"Wait a second," she spoke up before she climbed the nearest tree. Even with her vampire abilities, it was difficult to maneuver around the awkwardly shaped limbs. But once she was at the top, she could see for miles.

First, she glanced back the way they had come. She could see the small break in trees that revealed the place they'd started this game at. Beyond that break stood the trees where she knew Elena, Damon, Stefan, and Katherine would be fighting for their lives.

Then, she turned in the opposite direction and surveyed the forest they were located in.

It was hard to tell from her current position, but she could see a very small clearing in the southwest from where they were located. Going in the direction of a clearing didn't seem like the smartest idea, so she instead turned her attention to the eastern side of the forest. Through the dense foliage, she could barely make out a tall stone structure. Although it was a long shot, that structure was the best thing she saw.

She quickly climbed back down the tree, and then pointed in the direction she'd seen the structure.

"I think there's some form of shelter over there," she explained. The rest of the group nodded in acceptance, and no words were spoken before they headed off in that direction.

The landscape itself changed as they walked toward the stone structure. Now, they were moving downhill, and the trees thickened up so much that it was hard to find a path between them.

As darkness enveloped the land, Caroline felt a wave of anxiety wash over her being. They still hadn't reached the structure she had seen from the trees, and she feared they were traveling in the wrong direction. But then she saw a gray wall appear in the distance, and she let out an inward sigh of relief.

That relief, however, was short lived. Caroline could make out the silhouette of a person sitting inside the small rock alcove. Caroline stopped as she contemplated her next course of action, but the girl sitting there looked down at her and ruined any chance Caroline had at a surprise attack. And it was then that Caroline noticed that the girl had been crying.

"I… I don't want to die," the girl stammered. She wiped away angrily at her tears, but didn't make any motion to flee or fight. "I… I never wanted to be part of this. He just… He just took me."

A stab of pain tore through Caroline's heart. It was disgusting that Klaus had put them all together, only to expect them to kill off each other in a quest to survive. Surely there was some way they could all survive and beat Klaus together.

"We can-" Caroline began, but stopped in utter shock as the girl burst into flames. Her terrifying screams tore through the darkness, and Caroline stood frozen in her place.

When realization finally hit, Caroline turned to Bonnie with revulsion on her face.

"She wasn't going to hurt us," Caroline spat. "Why did you do that?"

Bonnie's eyes showed no regret. "It's us or her," Bonnie made clear. "I'm not going to die because I failed to take out someone who was evil."

Shaking her head, Caroline fought to contain the words she wanted to yell. Caroline thought they had moved past the vampire prejudices long ago. Apparently, that wasn't the case.

"Think about it for just a second," Bonnie continued, and that was the last thing Caroline wanted to do. "What one person in this arena deserves to win, Caroline? If you could choose the one person who survived, who would it be?"

Caroline didn't hesitate. "Elena."

"What about you, Jeremy?"

He crossed his arms over his chest before he finally nodded. "Elena."

"Alaric?"

"Jeremy and Elena," he responded, and Caroline smiled. Alaric was the one person who would guarantee that Klaus didn't make all the rules here.

Obviously Bonnie knew better than to ask Tyler, because she didn't even ask for his opinion on the matter.

"That vampire that I just killed stood between us and keeping Elena safe," Bonnie replied. "I'm not going to stand around and wait for our enemies to find us and attack us. If we truly want to stop Klaus from controlling all of the events here, we have to eliminate all of the loose ends. We have to be willing to get our hands dirty."

Although Caroline understood the logic in all of this, she didn't really want to kill people who weren't threatening her life. It seemed too cruel.

But Caroline knew there would be plenty of time for arguments and decisions in the future, so she walked the few remaining feet to the stone structure. The smell of smoke drifted past her, and she instantly cringed her nose. A breeze came through and blew away the ashes from the vampire Bonnie had destroyed. The place spoke of evil now, but Caroline knew they still had to stay there for the night.

The stone structure stood about ten feet off the ground with a deep stone alcove that allowed them to hide within in. Everyone worked quickly to ensure that the place was safe for the night from any other enemies that would come to take them out.

When everything was finally in order, Caroline leaned against the wall of the cave-like structure and tried to fight back the terrible thoughts that raced across her mind. Her throat burned with such an intensity that she didn't think she could take it. Taking her fingers, she fervently rubbed her neck in an attempt to bring some form of comfort. Unfortunately, it didn't come.

Caroline's gaze drifted nearby to Bonnie. Her friend stared at her with something close to hatred and with a bit of suspicion thrown in. Although no words were spoken, Caroline could tell that Bonnie knew the agony Caroline was going to be in until they escaped the arena. There was also something in Bonnie's gaze that told Caroline that she was prepared to defend herself if it came to it.

Knowing that her chance of surviving this was slim, Caroline snugged against the rough rock and tried to find sleep. And when sleep finally came, all she dreamed about was blood.

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><p>an: Please review!

Elena, Damon, Stefan, and Katherine will all appear in the next chapter. =)


	4. Chapter 4 Almost You

a/n: Thanks to everyone for the amazing reviews to my last chapter. Sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter up. The majority of my semester is over though, so hopefully I'll be able to update much more frequently. =)

A lot of people asked me when this took place, so I thought I'd make a note at the beginning of this chapter.

This takes place right before the mid-season finale. Tyler is a hybrid, Stefan is still bound to Klaus, etc.

Also, follow me on Twitter for updates about my story at rachel_leann58  
>Let me know you're from here and I'll follow you back.<p>

I hope you all enjoy this! And please review!

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><p>Chapter 4 Almost You<p>

_Night One…_

The screams echoed through the night.

Damon pulled Elena away from the area they had been in, leaving all their supplies there in the process. Although Elena tried to break away from him and go back to retrieve them, Damon stopped her from doing so.

"We'll worry about those later," he said simply.

They sprinted for about a minute before Elena realized they were heading in the opposite direction of the screams.

"You can't leave them alone," Elena replied, mortified at Damon's plan. "We have to help them."

Damon growled. "I have to keep you safe."

"But we-"

Elena never had the chance to respond. A male vampire entered the clearing then and tackled her to the ground. She cried out in pain as her head hit the earth with a harsh impact. She experienced dizziness for a few seconds. It only took those few seconds for Damon to grab onto the vampire's shirt and sling him against a tree.

Elena scrambled up, and then had to avoid being hit by Damon as he was thrown across the clearing. The vampire pulled her to him and slammed her body against the trunk of a tree. Even as his fangs touched Elena's neck, she reached into the holster at her waist, grabbed one of her daggers, and thrust the blade up under his rib cage and into his heart. The vampire sank to the ground beside Elena just as Damon appeared at her side.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he took her into his arms. Although Elena was startled by what she had accomplished, she nodded her head in response.

Then, she buried herself inside Damon's strong arms. Thousands of words that she wanted to say flashed across her mind, but she chose to enjoy the silence instead.

When Damon finally pulled apart, she looked up into his worried eyes.

"I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you," he breathed.

Without making the decision to do so, Elena reached up and took his head into her hands. "We're going to make it through this," she asserted. "We're going to survive this."

"Isn't that sweet?" Katherine's voice mocked as she entered the clearing. "We leave you two alone for ten minutes and you're practically declaring your affections for each other."

"It wasn't like that," Elena replied.

"I could honestly care less," Katherine smirked, although the tone of her voice suggested otherwise. "We killed the female vampire that was with him." Her eyes drifted to the body lying close by Elena. "And I see that you've take care of the other one."

"There were only two?" Elena questioned as she thought back to the screams she had heard earlier that night. It had sounded like there was an army of opponents then.

"That's all we saw," Katherine nodded before her own gaze glanced to Stefan. Her deep brown eyes mirrored something close to disgust. "There's a chance we've killed all the unknown vampires on our side."

"So now we can start on each other," Damon remarked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He offered his best smile to the group. "At least we've made it this far."

Elena opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when a loud blast tore through the air. Before Elena had time to talk, two more blasts echoed through the night. Her gaze flickered to Damon, but he looked about as confused as he did. That was when Katherine spoke.

"Well, hello Klaus," Katherine hummed. Elena spun around to see Klaus standing only a few feet in front of them. Although his appearance looked real, there were a few places in his image that Elena could see through.

"It's only a projection," Damon said in wonder. "I bet he's making a witch do that."

"Maybe," Katherine shrugged. "I'm sure he can still see us though."

"Congratulations on surviving the first night," Klaus grinned as his eyes swept across the group. Elena wondered if he really could see them. "Each night I will fire a concussion shell for every person who perished that day. If days pass where no one dies, I will intervene. Today, we had three deaths." He winked. "Have a wonderful night."

He didn't give them a chance to respond, and instead disappeared after his last words were spoken.

Goosebumps traveled up Elena's arms as she recalled Klaus' words. Despite the fact that she knew two of the deaths had come from their fight moments earlier, she didn't feel relieved. She needed to know who the other death was, even though there was absolutely no way to figure that out.

"I'm sure it wasn't anyone you knew," Damon remarked as he read her worried expression. "That group is too strong to be killed off."

"I hope so," was all Elena said in response.

"All of this talk of caring is starting to annoy me," Katherine remarked. She stretched her muscles in a way that Elena was sure only prostitutes did. "We deserve a break after killing off two vampires. We can figure out our next plan in the morning."

Katherine's tone didn't leave any room for argument. And when Katherine lowered herself to the ground, she almost instantly fell asleep.

"I'll keep watch," Stefan spoke for the first time in hours. "You two can go sleep together somewhere."

Elena frowned, but Damon was already talking, "Go to sleep, _brother_. I can keep watch."

"Whatever you want," Stefan smirked. Elena was sure they'd fight, but Stefan too found a place to fall asleep.

"Go to sleep, Elena," Damon whispered. "You need your rest now."

Elena nodded before she found a place near the base of a tree that she thought she could sleep at. This location was far away from both Katherine and Stefan, so she felt fairly safe there. Right before she closed her eyes, she saw Damon walk to a tree in the center of the group and lean his back against its trunk. He smiled at her, and she found herself smiling back. Then, she leaned against her own tree and tried to sleep.

Unfortunately, it never came.

The night was cold, and no matter how hard she tried, Elena simply couldn't get warm. To make things worse, every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Klaus' face grinning at her. That was an image she definitely didn't want to go to sleep to.

After tossing for about an hour, Elena pushed herself off the ground and moved toward where Damon was now sitting. He looked tired, but she knew he wouldn't sleep tonight either. There was too much on all their minds to sleep.

"Hey," she said softly as she sat down beside him.

"Having problems sleeping?" he asked, and she just nodded. "Come here," he said as he pulled her against his body.

For a few minutes, she simply sat there and allowed Damon to hold her. After the long day and night they had gone through, just having someone there to help her felt nice. She wanted to stay there forever.

"Elena," Damon whispered into her ear. His warm breath sent shivers through her body.

But she still managed to look up into his deep eyes. Their faces were only a few inches away, and Elena fought her hardest to keep her breathing even.

"What if Klaus only lets one person out," he continued. "What if he won't let us sit idly by? What if he makes us kill each other?"

Elena shook her head. "Klaus can kill us, Damon, but he can't take away our humanity. I _refuse_ to let him take away the good in us."

Absentmindedly, Damon reached down and pushed a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear.

"You're so pure, Elena," he murmured. He reached down and lightly kissed her on the forehead. Elena looked at him in confusion, but didn't pull away. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Damon," Elena breathed before she snuggled back into his arms. And there, in his embrace, she was able to find sleep without nightmares.

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><p>Damon stood back at the stream they had located the previous day and surveyed his haggard appearance. The fight with the vampire had caused tears in parts of his clothing, and dirt was on both his face and arms from where he had hit the ground. He looked terrible, but in a place this perfect, he wasn't sure if it mattered.<p>

Here, the water wove through the trees and glistened over silver rocks at the bottom of the stream. The trees swayed slightly in the soft wind while the sunlight fell down to the earth around him in patches of gold. In the midst of all this pain, there was unbelievable beauty.

For a few moments he just stood and enjoyed the majesty of it all. Then, he bent down near the crystal-clear water and quickly cleaned himself off.

Just as he finished, he heard a tree twig snap nearby. He turned around and smiled at the person he saw.

"Katherine said she wants to start moving," Elena spoke as she rolled her eyes. "Apparently leaving my water supply is of great importance."

"We have enough bottled to last you for a day or so. Hopefully, we'll find another source soon." Elena nodded, but didn't move to go. Noticing her odd behavior, Damon arched an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"

She shook her head slowly and offered him a weak smile. "After last night, I'm afraid of what Klaus will do to us, Damon. What if we don't get a chance to…"

Her voice trailed off, and Damon took a step closer to her. "What if we don't get a chance to do what?"

Instead of speaking, she closed the distance between them. With only a moment of hesitation, she took his face in her hands and gently kissed him on the lips.

As much as he wanted this moment, Damon knew this wasn't real.

"Is your life boring enough that you decide to be her?" Damon snapped as he held the girl in front of him at arm's length. "I've made it clear that there's nothing between us, Katherine."

"I know," she nodded as if the words meant nothing to her. "Sometimes, I just need someone to know that I'm not her."

"What are you talking about?"

Katherine frowned. "I spent the majority of my human existence being labeled as the 'Petrova doppelganger' by Klaus and Elijah. Then, when I was a vampire, Klaus just labeled me as someone to kill. And when you and Stefan both fell madly in love with Elena, I was just the girl who looked like Elena. It gets boring being someone else, Damon. Sometimes I just need someone to realize I'm Katherine."

"Can't Stefan be that person for you?" Damon quipped.

"He could," she consented. "And he will be. I know he loves me. I just need to give him time to see that. I need him to find himself again so he can realize what he wants."

Damon laughed. "Are you actually insinuating that Stefan _loves_ you? That's a little farfetched, even for you."

"If he was truly over me, why would he have allowed me to stay around him for so long?" she shrugged. "I know Stefan is noble, but that's even above what Stefan normally does."

"Believe what you want," Damon replied.

"I will," she smirked. She turned to leave, but then paused and looked back. "You want to be with Elena. I want to be with Stefan. We both want those things, regardless of whatever Klaus has planned for us. If we die, Damon, then what's the purpose of you loving her? If I die, what the purpose of me loving him?"

"I don't know…"

"Then let's make sure we make it out with the people we love," Katherine said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Let's split up, search different parts of our side, and find some way to beat him."

Damon chuckled. "It almost sounds like you have a heart, Katherine."

"I've always had a heart," Katherine made clear. "It's just never belonged to you."

Katherine left then, and Damon watched her go. The way Katherine had spoken to him had revealed to Damon that Katherine had some form of plan up her sleeve. Damon just wasn't sure he was going to like it.

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><p>an: As always, please review!


	5. Chapter 5 Heroes in Unlikely Places

a/n: Hello all! I finally got around to writing another chapter. =)  
>Follow me on Twitter for updates about my fic, and just to talk about random things at rachel_leann58<br>As always, please review!

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><p>Chapter 5 Heroes in Unlikely Places<p>

_Night one…_

Caroline sat against the smooth rock in the alcove and stared out into the darkness around her. With the burning in her throat intensifying, all her thoughts revolved around blood. She wanted to shake off the terrible things she was thinking, but they wouldn't go away.

Resting her head against the rock, she closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. The oxygen slid down her throat and burned her lungs. She wanted to cry out in pain, but only allowed a soft whimper to escape her lips.

It was then that she caught movement to her left. She glanced over and saw Tyler walking toward her. Part of her wanted to tell him to go away, but there was something inside of her that still wanted him there. Letting her heart rule, she allowed him to sit down beside her without making a sharp remark.

"Are you not thirsty?" she whispered before she looked Tyler in the eyes.

He nodded slowly. "I'm starting to get there. How long do you think we were out?"

Caroline shrugged. "For me to feel this thirsty, I'd say we were unconscious for a couple of days before waking up. I'm sure he wanted us to feel this way while we were in here."

"Maybe we just need something to distract us," Tyler replied suggestively.

Instead of speaking, Caroline just watched Tyler with a calculated gaze. When Tyler leaned forward and brushed her blond curls out of her face, she didn't shrink back.

His lips brushed across hers in a sort of wild hunger. He gripped her hair tightly in his hands as he deepened the kiss. Caroline heard herself moan, and decided that this heat would probably consume her. As harsh as her thirst had been, this was far worse.

Then, she pushed Tyler away with such a force that he stared at her with wide eyes.

"What did I do?" he gasped.

Caroline glared at him. "You're loyal to Klaus," she said with something close to disbelief. "If he tells us to start killing one another, you will kill people, won't you?"

He didn't respond, and his silence was somehow worse than any words he could have said.

"I can't believe you," she began as she pushed herself to her feet. Tyler, however, grabbed onto her to try to prevent her from leaving.

"Caroline, I-"

"No," Caroline replied violently as she tore her wrist free from his grip. "I completely understand. If Klaus snaps his pretentious little fingers, you'll attack us and we'll all be dead."

He stood up and looked at her with pleading in his eyes. "I would never hurt you, Caroline."

"I don't think you have a choice," she responded curtly before she turned and walked away from him.

Instead of finding a new place in the alcove, she jumped off of the small rock and strolled into the darkness. Although she heard Tyler calling after her, she continued to march on ahead. The pain she felt now was something she had to deal with on her own.

The woods were creepy at night, especially with the fact that there were still people who hadn't been accounted for. Klaus' statement that three had died meant little to her. She knew one person who was dead, but there was no way now to figure out who the other two were. It was easier not to think of the answer compared to guessing if someone she cared about had been murdered.

Thankfully, her thirst had resided after her entire ordeal with Tyler. Something about knowing he'd kill those she loved made her sick to her stomach. She was certain anything she would put into her body would instantly be thrown back up.

She had been walking for about ten minutes when she finally stopped and sighed. She raked a hand through her curly blond hair while she listened to the quiet of the night. In it, she could almost find peace. But then she heard a branch snap nearby, and she turned her eyes immediately in the direction of the sound.

For a few moments she simply stood there and waited. When she didn't hear another sound in the darkness, she decided she had made it up. As she turned around to go back, however, another sound echoed through the night. She turned around just in time to see a rouge vampire stab her in the stomach with a stake made from a tree limb.

Her breathing hitched as the pain of the wood echoed through her body. The vampire produced another stake that he aimed at her heart, but before he had the chance to attack, Alaric appeared at her side and stabbed the vampire with his own weapon. Unfortunately, Alaric missed the heart of the enemy, and the vampire sped away as quickly as possible.

When she knew she was safe, Caroline pulled the stake out of her stomach with her shaking hands and sunk to the ground. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out deeply. She wanted to give in to the darkness around her and drift into unconsciousness, but she wasn't sure how wise that would be now. They could be attacked again at any moment. She didn't want them to die because she was tired.

Alaric took hold of her body and gently helped her to her feet. Caroline offered him a smile as she tried to break free, but when she couldn't stand on her own, his strong hands once again surrounded her.

For a moment, she just stood there. Then, in a complete act of spontaneity, she wrapped her arms around Alaric in a loose hug.

"Thank you," she whispered. Her strength was still not up to par, however, and her eyes fluttered closed. Alaric's body tensed, but he kept a steady grip on her.

"Caroline," his voice spoke, alive with urgency.

"Mmm," Caroline murmured against his chest.

"You're still bleeding heavily."

The words barely registered in her mind. "Need blood to heal," she mumbled.

She felt Alaric set her down on the ground. There was a rustling noise, Alaric let out a soft groan, and then she felt warm blood enter her mouth. She tried to hold back, but her body remembered her thirst, and drunk in the blood like it was air for a person who had been suffocated. She didn't stop until registration dawned on her, and she pushed Alaric away as forcibly as she could manage.

"What was that?" Carolina gasped as she wiped furiously at the blood on her mouth.

He seemed about as shocked as she was. "You needed it," he finally responded.

They stayed in their current positions for a few minutes, with Caroline sitting on the ground and Alaric standing nearby her. They blinked at each other as they stared at each other with wide eyes.

Finally, it was Caroline who broke the silence. "Thanks… again."

He nodded in acceptance. "Let's just get going. I don't want him to come back."

After letting out a deep breath, Caroline pushed herself to her feet and walked with Alaric back to the alcove. Neither said a word as they walked, and Caroline took those moments to just enjoy the silence. Now, her thirst was gone, and her world was lit up in the magnificent rainbow of colors she was allowed to see in. Part of her wanted to ask Alaric why he had willing given her his blood, but her mouth remained tightly closed.

Then, her mouth quirked into a grin. Even in this dark world where everyone was destined to be killed, Alaric had still found a way to be selfless. Although she wasn't the person who had made the sacrifice, Caroline still felt some small sort of victory over what he had done. At least Klaus hadn't won tonight.

When they returned to the camp they had made, Caroline was surprised to see Tyler standing there and waiting for her. His dark eyes instantly went to the blood stains on her shirt, but she shrugged him off.

"I'm fine," she said as she walked past him. She didn't even bother to look back at him. With as close to death as she had come, she didn't really want to confide in the one person who could be her downfall here.

She continued to walk to the place she had been resting earlier, and noticed that Bonnie and Jeremy were still sleeping soundly. Apparently they had managed to sleep through all of this.

Someone approached her, and sat down beside her. Thinking the person was Tyler, Caroline made sure to give no indication that she knew someone was there. When Alaric spoke, however, Caroline turned toward him and arched a perfect eyebrow.

"I've been thinking," he spoke slowly, as if he was still trying to put together his thoughts. "Klaus still needs Elena if he wants to make his hybrids. He won't have enough of her blood stored up to create the army he wants to."

Caroline nodded slowly. She was truly exhausted now, and didn't really see where this conversation was going.

"Why would Klaus put her in this place if he still needs her?" Alaric asked quietly. "She was attacked the first day, and without you, she would have been killed. Why would Klaus take that risk?"

"She's already broke the curse," Caroline shrugged. "Maybe it doesn't matter now if she is human or vampire, just as long as she exists."

Alaric laughed darkly. "It _would_ be like Klaus to infuse her with his blood. That way if she died, she wouldn't really be dead."

"But what does that mean for us?" Caroline finally questioned.

Alaric didn't respond for a few moments. As the moonlight drifted in to where they were, Caroline noticed that his otherwise light hair seemed to be contrasted with sparkling silver and the black of the shadows. His eyes mirrored that same darkness as he revealed to her levels of pain that she couldn't quite fathom.

"The only person Klaus intends to let out of this arena is Elena," he finally whispered. "I'm sure if she actually becomes a vampire that he'll intervene immediately, kill all of us, and take her out." He paused. "I want Elena to live through this. She _deserves_ to live through this. But we need to find a way to win. We need to find a way that guarantees all of our safeties. We need to go beyond this forest and see what lies on the other side. We need to see if there is a way out."

Caroline nodded in agreement. As powerful as Klaus was, it was still very unlikely that he had covered every possible exit to the place they were. If they could somehow escape, maybe they could find some way to beat him. Maybe they could end this before anyone else had to die.

"Why are you talking to me about this tonight?" Caroline asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Because I want us to split up in the morning," Alaric responded. "Klaus may be powerful, but he can't watch all of us at once. If he's not watching us, then maybe we'll have time to make a move."

"I'm sure Klaus is hearing all of this conversation," Caroline sighed.

"Then let him," Alaric shrugged. "He knows it's the truth too. We'll be far more powerful if we break up."

"And you want me to support this so I can convince the others to follow." Caroline leaned back against the rock and closed her eyes for a few moments. If she would have allowed it, her body would have fallen asleep at that moment. Instead, she opened her eyes again and focused them on Alaric. "I'll go along with it."

Alaric truly smiled then, and Caroline felt a faint throb in her chest. She ignored it, though, and offered him a smile of her own.

Then, she opened her mouth to say goodnight. But as always, someone chose to interrupt.

"Caroline." Tyler's voice echoed through the alcove with both urgency and fear. Despite her doubts on Tyler's loyalty, she still found herself looking in his direction. "Caroline, you have to come quick. You'll never guess what I found."

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><p>an: Review!


	6. Chapter 6 Wolves Herding the Sheep

a/n: Here is my next chapter! I hope you enjoy. And if you want to follow me on Twitter, you'll receive updates about this story, and you can talk to me about all things TVD. Just find me at Rachel_Leann58

As always, review!

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><p>Chapter 6 Wolves Herding the Sheep<p>

_Night One…_

Caroline just stared at Tyler for a few moments.

Turning back to Alaric, she asked, "Do you have weapons with you?"

"Of course."

She shrugged. "Then let's go."

The place Tyler took them to was only a few yards away, and Caroline felt like she could yell for help if it came to it. They slowly descended into the blackness of a cave. Caroline placed her hand against the side of the wall to steady herself. Her arm brushed against Alaric's, and she involuntarily jumped in surprise. As she let out a deep breath, chills raced down her arms. With Tyler being loyal to Klaus, the last thing she wanted to do was for Klaus to make Tyler lead them into some form of trap.

As they walked, the cave slanted downward before finally opening up into a large cavern. Through the thick darkness in the room, Caroline could barely make out the form of blood bags stacked against one of the walls.

"See, Klaus will take care of us," Tyler remarked as he threw a bag in Caroline's direction. After she caught it, she simply stared at it with disgust.

"And what about after he makes us kill each other?" Caroline shouted. "Will he take care of us then?"

"He won't make us do that."

Carolina gaffed. "What?" She scratched her forehead as she tried to piece together words that made sense. "You don't think Klaus will make us kill each other? Even though he said that was exactly what he was going to do?"

"It's just a test."

Without responding, Caroline turned and walked away from the cave Tyler had found.

"Wait!" she heard both Alaric and Tyler call, but she kept walking forward. Right now, she was so angry that words wouldn't even form.

After Tyler grabbed onto her arm and pulled her back to him, she jerked her arm away and glared.

"If you honestly think that," she said, shaking, "then you will end up getting all of us killed."

Tyler stood there for a moment in silence. "Why can't you trust me?" he asked silently.

Caroline let out a deep breath before she spoke quietly, "Why can't you trust me? Why don't you trust what I feel and think?" When he didn't respond, Caroline nodded. "We're splitting up this group tomorrow, Tyler. Try not to mess things up for all of us."

With those words, Caroline climbed back up into the alcove and leaned back against the rock. As hard as she tried, sleep never came.

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><p><em>Day Two…<em>

"You're inability to speak is greatly getting on my nerves," Katherine complained as she glanced over at Stefan. They had been traveling for close to an hour, and still no words had escaped his lips. She was quite certain that if she attacked him, he would speak, but she didn't want to resort to violence. At least not yet.

"Did it ever occur to you?" Stefan began, causing Katherine to actually jump, "That I'm being quiet so I can come up with a plan? Why waste time speaking?"

"Some of us can actually multitask, and think while we're speaking," she retorted. Although she was thankful he had spoken, she didn't show her happiness. Instead, she hiked up the nearest hill and surveyed the area on the other side. When she saw what was on the other side, she stopped walking, crossed her arms, and frowned.

"Stefan?" she said slowly as she continued to stare at the scene in front of her. "You really need to come up here."

A rush of wind passed by her, and Katherine knew she was no longer alone at the top of the hill.

"Well," Stefan remarked. He seemed about as confused as she was.

"How did this happen?" Katherine fumed as she walked down the slope, away from the trees, and toward the place they had started this journey from. "We were traveling in the opposite direction. How did we end up back here?"

"I'm sure it was something Klaus did," Stefan replied. His tone reflected more curiosity than anger. "Shall we travel in the other direction then?"

Katherine didn't answer. Instead, she blurred across the open space and to the location where they had begun. This time, there was no force field there to prevent them from passing on to the other side.

"At least we can find the others now," she spoke, although she seemed far from enthusiastic about finding the rest of the group. Finally, she turned in the eastern direction. "We have to get to the end of this place and see where it ends. We _will_ walk in a straight line, even if we have to go through trees to do so."

"Yes, master," Stefan smirked. Katherine frowned in response.

She kicked at the few remaining items in the center before cocking her head to the side. Amidst all the human food, she saw a lone blood packet.

Without hesitating, she reached down and swallowed half of the packet of blood. Then, she tossed the remaining contents to Stefan.

He drank the remaining blood before tossing the empty container to the ground.

"You were much more fun when you actually had a soul," Katherine frowned. "That's something we're going to have to work on."

Stefan continued to grin. "There is nothing for you to free me from. I feel better than I ever have."

Katherine smiled in response to that. "If we're going to die in here, at least you'll make these last few days interesting."

With those words, Katherine blurred away, and headed directly east. Even if she died, which she knew she wouldn't allow to happen, she would find out what lay on the other side of Klaus' battlefield, and save Stefan. To accomplish those things, a lot of miracles needed to occur. She planned on making those miracles happen.

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><p>"Damon," Elena spoke softly. Her big brown eyes looked up to him. "Is everything okay?"<p>

"Of course," Damon smiled, but Elena didn't believe him. He looked far too tired, and dark circles shadowed his eyes.

She paused for a moment. "How long can you go without blood?"

"For a while longer," he replied simply. His gaze remained focused on the area in front of them as they continued descending the hill. "Don't worry about me Elena. I'll be fine."

Although Elena didn't agree, she remained quiet. At least until she saw a cave up ahead.

"That looks exactly like a death trap," Damon said as he stopped walking and stared at the cave.

As if on cue, the sky opened up and poured rain. Elena gasped in surprise. When her ragged breathing finally slowed back down, she glanced over to Damon.

"I think he wants us to go in there."

Although Elena took a step forward, Damon hung back.

"It's just a place to get out of the rain, Damon," Elena pleaded. "We'll just go in the entrance and wait out the rain."

Damon looked like he wanted to argue with her, but finally nodded and walked toward the cave himself.

They had just walked inside when a peal of thunder echoed through the forest.

"That sounds ominous," Damon grumbled as he glared into the darkness of the cave. After a few seconds, he shrugged, and sat down.

"No," Elena said forcefully as she marched over to Damon and attempted to pull him to his feet. He didn't move, and the only thing Elena accomplished was making herself tired. "We can't just sit around here, Damon. We don't have enough time for that."

"Then what do you suppose we do?" Damon leaned against the side of the cave and stretched out his legs. A frown crossed Elena's face in response.

She walked over to the other side of the cave and picked up a flashlight that had been left there.

"Oh no," Damon began, but Elena stopped him.

"We can at least travel through this cave. We can see what's in here."

He closed his eyes. "I'm sure that's exactly what Klaus wants us to do. Why else would he have placed a flashlight at this exact location?" He sighed. "I'd rather just stay here for a while. There's no telling what's in the depths of this cave."

"Which is exactly _why_ we need to find out," Elena retorted. She grabbed onto Damon's arm again and tried to yank him up. In a flurry of movement, Damon pulled her down so she was sitting on top of him. She blinked in surprise for a few moments before she pushed away from him.

"Be serious, Damon," she spoke, although she was certain he couldn't hear her over her loudly beating heart. "We need to move."

He stood up, reluctantly, and his arm accidently brushed against hers. Elena gasped in surprise at both the contact, and the fire she felt after it was gone. Her big brown eyes finally turned to Damon for some form of plan. He stood only a few inches from her, and she had to fight against her body to keep her breathing normal.

"If we're actually going in there," he began slowly. His voice was soft, and Elena could feel his breath brush against her lips. "Then we are going to do things my way. I'm going to go in front, just in case someone is waiting to take us out."

Elena nodded numbly. When Damon moved away from her, she let out a deep breath, and followed him into the darkness of the cave.

When she turned on the flashlight, rays of light penetrated the thick darkness. Damon offered her a weak smile, nodded, and then continued walking.

Without making a conscious decision to do so, she reached out and lightly held onto the fabric of Damon's shirt. Although the darkness seemed less threatening now, she didn't want to take the chance of them somehow being separated.

The walls of the cave were made out of a dark basalt rock. She wondered if it led back to the other side of the battlefield, but knew that nothing was guaranteed now. For all she knew, this cave could lead to her death.

The worst part was that she could sense that Damon was getting tired. There was no telling how long he had gone without blood, and his movements now were slower, while his reflexes seemed just as sluggish. He needed blood, and Elena only knew of one way to give it to him…

"Can I have the flashlight?" Damon asked slowly as he turned back to look at Elena.

"Of course," she replied as she handed it to him. The light flickered around her, and Damon's body blocked most of the rays. She tried to move around him, but he moved in front of her so she wouldn't see what was ahead.

After what felt like an eternity, Damon turned back around. His face shined with the harsh white light the flashlight produced.

"I really do not want you to see what's up here," Damon said softly.

Elena's eyes grew wide. "What do you mean? What's up there?"

"Elena…"

But she had already grabbed the flashlight from him, and threw the light over the area in front of them.

At first she didn't understand. When the light ran over the area, she saw nothing but more stone. Then, however, in the very corner of the room, she saw what Damon had been talking about.

There was a large pool of blood that careened from one corner to another. Lying in the corner were bloody body parts that she was certain once all belonged to one body.

Elena closed her eyes and tried to even her breathing. When she reopened them, she turned back to Damon.

"He wants you to feed," she said incredulously.

"I'm _not_ touching that person," Damon replied with a deep vigor. "I will _not_ stoop to his level."

Nodding, Elena found herself being swept up into his arms. As she rested her head against his chest, the light fell over the corner again, and the sight of the broken bodies reemerged. At that moment, she was certain that she would never be able to get that sight out of her mind.

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><p>an: I hope everyone enjoyed the episode tonight on television! As always, please review!


	7. Chapter 7 The Appeal of Blood

a/n: In honor of Vampire Diaries Thursday and the midnight release of the Hunger Games only a few hours away, here is my next chapter!

Also, follow me on Twitter at Rachel_leann58

Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 7 The Appeal of Blood<p>

_Day Two…_

Caroline stood beside Jeremy, Bonnie, and Alaric with a frown on her face.

"And you're sure you have no idea where he would have gone?" Bonnie asked, for like the thousandth time.

"I'm sure," Caroline sighed. She raked her hand through her long blond hair. It was obvious she was worried about him, but she knew he had gone off on his own. There was nothing to suggest a struggle, and even if the rouge vampire had returned, Caroline knew Tyler was strong enough to win that fight. The only real questions were where had Tyler gone, and why had he left.

"If we split up now, Klaus will have to keep track of even more groups," Alaric spoke up. "I think we still need to do this."

The group nodded somberly. Their greatest strength came from numbers, but Caroline knew if they wanted to win this battle, they would have to split up.

Since they had already discussed the new groups they would form, Caroline walked over to Bonnie and embraced her in a tight hug.

"Be careful," Caroline whispered as she looked into Bonnie's deep green eyes.

"You too," she nodded back. Bonnie reached around her neck to unclasp her necklace. "If you need anything, Caroline, just squeeze this necklace and think of me. I will find you."

"Thank you," Caroline smiled. After she brushed her hair out of the way, she hooked the silver chain around her neck.

With only a slight nod, Caroline turned and walked off with Jeremy toward the southeast portion of the battlefield.

They walked for over an hour in absolute silence. It seemed like neither wanted to bring up any talk of what they needed to be discussing. The whole idea of strategizing and coming up with an action plan seemed exhausting to Caroline right now.

But the longer they walked, the more a thought gnawed at the back of her mind. The thought of killing someone seemed impossible in here, especially if that person was someone she was close to. Still, if they wanted to win this ridiculous battle, she knew there was at least one person that she had to kill. That thought alone sickened her to the core.

With those grim thoughts lingering in her mind, Caroline remained silent until darkness arrived.

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><p>Katherine glanced back just long enough to make sure Stefan was following her. When she turned back around, her stomach exploded in pain.<p>

At first, she was confused. She stared at the stake that stuck out of her body and wondered how it had gotten there. Then, a vampire appeared in her line of vision, and she knew it was him.

Although she tried to pull out the stake, it took too much time. The vampire grabbed onto her neck and slammed her to the ground. He held her in place as he took out the stake himself. He was about to drive it through her heart when Stefan appeared and threw the vampire off of her.

Katherine blurred, grabbed the fallen stake, and then plunged it through the vampire's heart.

"I'm glad that's over," Katherine huffed as she pushed her hair out of her face. For a moment she lost her composure. Brushing her hair off her shoulders, she eyed Stefan suspiciously.

Reacting on instinct alone, Stefan reached out and examined Katherine's stomach where the dagger had punctured her skin. The wound had already closed, although large amounts of blood remained.

The familiar fire returned to Katherine's body as Stefan's fingertips brushed across her skin. When she had been with Damon all those years ago, things had been absolutely easy. To Katherine, sex was always easy. It gave her some form of control over men and allowed her to distance herself from any feeling besides primal pleasure. With Stefan, however, things had never been that simple. There had always been a web of emotions with him that she wasn't sure she ever wanted to feel. But through all that chaos, at least the difficult wasn't as terribly boring as the simple had been.

"You just saved my life," she finally said. She blinked her big brown eyes in an attempt to lure Stefan in. Her own fingertips brushed across his arm as she closed the distance between them. "How will I ever be able to repay you?"

Without giving him a chance to respond, Katherine leaned in and brushed her lips lightly over his.

Unfortunately, he pushed her away rather harshly.

"Whatever feelings I once had for you, Katherine, they have long since passed," Stefan made clear. "Let's not spend our time in this arena dredging up painful memories. They're in the past for a reason."

"I don't want the old memories," Katherine retorted. Before Stefan could respond, she pushed past him and climbed up the embankment in front of her. After only a moment of hesitation, Stefan moved up beside her.

Together, they stood on top of the hill and eyed the arena before them. It stretched on for miles in all directions, and all the landscape looked eerily similar.

"There has to be an end somewhere," Katherine cursed as her eyes spanned the area.

When Stefan spoke, Katherine jumped.

"Look," he said softly as he pointed to the horizon. "What is that?"

Squinting, Katherine tried to make out the shapes Stefan was pointing at. When she finally realized what they were, she sucked in a deep breath.

"Well," she hummed. "Isn't that interesting?"

* * *

><p>Ever since Elena had seen the gruesome, mutilated body parts, she hadn't been able to forget about them. The gore remained plastered in her mind, and she secretly wondered how far Klaus would go to win this sick game of his.<p>

Despite the fact that she knew it would hurt them both, her left hand had remained entwined with his since the incident had occurred. She wanted to be strong enough to separate herself from him, but right now, she just couldn't.

Throughout the course of the day, they hiked through the caves. Occasionally they would stop and rest, but for the most part, they trudged on. As long as she was moving, she didn't have as much time to contemplate all the things she would see in this arena.

To make things worse, the trek drained Damon of his remaining energy. There was no telling how long it had been since he had fed, and Elena knew in her mind that at some point soon they would have to discuss the possibility of her becoming a donor for him. The thought absolutely terrified her, but right now, she didn't see any way around it.

When Damon suddenly stopped walking, she lost her grip on him, and her fingers fell loosely to her side.

"Do you hear that?" he asked, but didn't wait for her response. His head cocked to the side as he tiptoed forward.

Trepidation filled Elena's body as she slowly followed Damon. He turned off the flashlight, and it suddenly became too dark for her to even see. She sucked in a deep breath to steady herself, and hoped that no one else heard it.

A crash echoed through the room. Elena froze as she heard a body impact with the rough sides of the cave walls.

"What are you doing here?" Damon growled.

"Chill-"

"I said what are you doing here?"

"I split away from the rest of the group," Tyler's voice replied. "I couldn't stay with them anymore."

"Right," Damon drawled. "I'd say they forced you away."

"They don't trust me," Tyler finally replied.

"And we don't either," Damon made clear. Another thump echoed through the area, and Elena knew Tyler had been thrown onto the ground. "Get out of here while I'm still giving you that choice."

"It's Tyler, Damon," Elena remarked as she finally found her voice. "We'll be stronger together."

"Assuming he doesn't stab us in the back," Damon retorted. He sighed, and the flashlight came back on again. Elena had never been more grateful for light.

Tyler's frowning face filled the entire beam of light.

"I can behave myself," Tyler reasserted.

Elena could barely hear his words over the pounding of her heart.

"Can we just get out of this cave?" she sighed. "We can talk about this when we get out of here."

"I never said I wanted to stay with you," Tyler made clear. "I actually have other plans." He dusted off his now-dirty clothes. "My goal in here is to keep Caroline safe. And I have to find her to be able to do that. I just needed to find one thing first."

"And what is that?" Damon questioned.

"None of your business," Tyler made clear. He glanced to Elena to offer her an apologetic smile. "You just chose to keep company with the wrong person."

With those words, Tyler pushed past them and walked into the direction they had come from. Part of Elena wanted to warn him of the dismembered body he would meet up ahead, but the other part of her was too tired to even mention it.

"Does this mean we're on the other side of the arena?" Elena finally asked.

"It would appear so," Damon responded curtly. He flashed the beam of light to the area ahead. Something else caught his attention, and he took off at a near-sprint.

Elena raced to keep up with him, and was surprised at how much effort it took her body to simply keep up with Damon at a normal human pace. This entire game had already started affecting her body.

They slowed down and walked for close to twenty minutes before Elena finally saw light filter through at the end of the cave.

Her heart raced as she picked up her pace again and ran the few remaining steps it took to arrive outside. She stood in the bright moonlight, closed her eyes, and breathed in her new freedom.

After a few moments, she opened her eyes and glanced at Damon. His face looked happy, but something in his eyes told her something was wrong.

"How much longer can you go?" Elena found herself asking. "How much longer until you have to feed."

"A while," he responded quietly. "I'll be okay, Elena."

Letting out a deep breath, Elena took off her backpack and set it on the ground. She reached to her side and took out one of the knives that Alaric had given her. She wiped it off on the hem of her shirt to remove any trace of vervain that it still had on it. She had just touched the blade to her arm when Damon grabbed onto the knife and took it from her. He tossed it to the ground far away from them both.

"I feel like I've made myself clear on this," Damon spoke sternly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"It won't hurt me," Elena replied fiercely. "And you being weak is just putting me in danger."

She knew those last words would achieve what she wanted them too. She watched as Damon's resolve faltered and then turned into a new form of decisiveness.

"Okay," he began slowly. "But we're doing this my way."

His fingertips brushed across her neck as he pushed her hair away from her body. She had expected him to bite her, but instead, he placed one, gentle kiss on her neck.

Despite her apprehensiveness, Elena found herself giving in to the moment. Her eyes fluttered closed as she enjoyed the feeling of his warm lips on her skin.

Then he bit her.

There was a moment of intense pain that faded away into a calmness.

Next, she sank into that realm where nothing seemed to hurt. She could hear her heart beating quickly and loudly, but it seemed distant from her now. She felt a sort of gliding pleasure descend her on her body.

Before long, Damon pulled away, and her peacefulness disappeared.

She stared at him for a few moments; her heart pounding in her chest. Her hands held onto Damon's body as she attempted to steady herself from all that had just happened. He watched her with careful eyes as she leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

In that kiss, she lost herself.

He kissed her back slowly, almost apprehensively. She longed for him to drop whatever walls he had put up and truly kiss her, but that never came.

Instead, he pushed her away from him and held her back at arm's length.

"I want the next time you kiss me to be because you want it," Damon spoke clearly. "I don't want it to be because of how sharing your blood with me makes you feel."

She wanted to scream at him, tell him that what he had just said was an insult to her, but she kept her mouth tightly shut.

Then, Elena heard a canon blast. As her mind wondered who the casualty had been, Klaus appeared in her line of vision.

"Good evening participants," he smiled wickedly. "I know you are all wondering who is left in this fight, and I actually feel inclined to tell you. The people who died were the vampires you did not know." He truly grinned then. "I believe by now you have discovered why I would reveal this information to you. This means that tomorrow someone must kill one of the remaining competitors or I will step in. I am certain you do not want that."

With those words, Klaus disappeared. Elena was left staring at the space he had been in in complete shock. The game had just changed, and once again, Klaus had proven he was in complete control.

* * *

><p>an: I deeply enjoyed writing the Katherine/Stefan and Elena/Damon scenes this chapter. They were very similar, but also very different. I hope you enjoyed them as well.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on who Caroline thinks she'll have to kill, what Katherine and Stefan saw, and what Elena and Damon will do next. =)

As always, review!


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